Improvement in horse-rakes



UNITED STATES' DENNIS P. SHARP, OF ITHACA, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT iN'HoRse-RAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4 M326, dated January 19, 1864.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, DENNIS I?. SHARP, of Ithaca,- in the county of Tompkins and State ot' New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Horse-Rakes; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the line or w, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan or top View' ofthe same.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in the two figures.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in thatl class of horse-rakes in which wire teeth are used. The invention consists ina novel way of connecting the draft attachment with the teeth-frame, whereby the draft of the animal, by a simple manipulation on the part ofthe driver, is made subservient in elevating the teeth, so that the latter may discharge their load, and keeping the teeth elevated a requisite period of time, and the draft ofthe animal also made to keep the teeth l constructed in the usual way, and therefore do not require a minute description.

G represen ts a bent or right-angular lever, which is placed loosely on the shaft a, to which the rake-teeth D are secured. The lower arm, b, ot' this lever G extends underneath the bar O of the teeth-elevating frame E, and the upper end ofthe upper arm, d, of the lever G is connected by a cord or chain, e, with the upper end of a earn-shaped lever, H, the fulcrum fof which is between two parallel longitudinal bars, g g, the front ends of which are attached to the back cross-bar, h, of the thills A,- the back ends being attached to the axle B.

Theform of the cam-shaped lever H is shown clearly in Fig. 1. Its back part, z', is` or may be a straight bar, while its front part has two curves, j j', one above the other, the upper curve,j, approximating to a semi-ellipse, and being larger than the lower one,j, which is of similar form. The two curved parts j j are not in direct contact, a small sernieircular concave, 7c, being between the two. The fulcrnmpinfof the cam-shaped leverH passes through its back part, fi, and to the latter there is attached a rod or handle, I, which extends upward by the side of the drivers seat J. 'lhe lower end ot' the cam-shaped lever H is oonnected by a cord or chain, l, with an arm, m, of the teeth-depressing frame F, as shown in Fig. 1.

K is a rod or bar, the back end ot' which is divaricated or forked, as shown at n, to receive the front part ofthe cam-shaped lever H. In the back part ofthe fork n of the rod K there is a roller, L, said roller being within the lever H, and bearing against the back edge ot' its front side. The rod K passes through a guide, o, on the front cross-bar, 11,', ofthe thills A, and it is bent in the form of a hook, p, at its front end, the hook receiving the staple ot' the whiftletree.

From theabove description it will be seen that as the machine is drawn along` the draft or pull ol' the animal will, when the rollerLis in the lower curved part, j', of the cam-shaped lever H, have a tendency to draw the lower end ot' the leverl H forward and pull on the cord or chain @which is connected to the teeth-de pressing frame F, and thereby keep the teeth D pressed down to the earth. By slightly moving the upper end of the rod or handle I forward the roller L will catch into the concave 7c, and the lower ends ot' the teeth will be kept or retained a trifle above the surface of the ground, while by shoving the upper end of the rod or handle I still farther forward the animal will draw forward the upper end of the lever H, which, in consequence of being connected by the cord or chain e with the upper arm, d, ofthe bent lever Gr, will raise the teeth-elevating frame E and the teeth D, as shown in red in Fig. l. Thus by simply actuating the rod or handle I and moving the canishaped lever H the draft or pull of the animal is made subservient in raising the teeth to disroller L will be within the upper curved part, j, of the lever H, and the draft or pull of the Y.

charge their load, and' alsoA in keeping the l I and the bent lever G, connected by the cord teeth down in proper working position. The

advantage of this arrangement consists in its eXtreme simplicity, there bein g no parts liable to become deranged by use, and it may be applied to the ordinary Wire-tooth rakes at a small cost.

I do not claim broadly operating the teeth of a horse-rake by the draft movement irrespective of the means herein shown and described for that purpose; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentv The cani-shaped lever H, constructed as described, and provided with the rod or handle or chain e, the lever'G having its lower arm, b, extending under the bar c of the teeth-elevatng frame E, and the lower end ofthe camshaped lever H, connected by the cord or chain l with the teeth-depressing frame F, when said parts are used in combination with the draftbar K, provided with the roller L, or Without it, and all arranged to operate in the manner substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

DENNIS P. SHARP.

Witnesses:

MILES C. MIX, J. F. HIXsoN. 

